


my little universe

by gracecavendish



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: College AU, Fluff, M/M, Musician!Chanyeol, artist!baekhyun, chingu line, fluff for days, so much sappiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-08 22:40:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14703918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gracecavendish/pseuds/gracecavendish
Summary: Over hazelnut lattes and meddling friends, Baekhyun draws the cosmos and Chanyeol sings to his universe.





	my little universe

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt Code:** 218
> 
>  **Warnings:** none
> 
>  **Summary:** Over hazelnut lattes and meddling friends, Baekhyun draws the cosmos and Chanyeol sings to his universe. 
> 
> **Author's Note:** the amount of fluff in this fic is intese, excuse the sappiness. to my prompter i hope you enjoy this!! and thank u to the mods for your hard work with this fest! enjoy reading my cb fic ♡

In a way, Park Chanyeol was living the life he’d always wanted. 

Despite the naysaying of his parents, teachers and majority of his peers, he knew that music was what was meant for him. Numerous nights of scribbling in his lyrics notebook and irritating his neighbours with practicing piano until 3am all were toward his acceptance into his composing degree. Now, at 21 and two years into his studies, Chanyeol truly believed he could turn his talents into a prosperous career and, in a way, he had. 

Although performing to mid-afternoon cafe goers wasn’t exactly an impressive audience or high paying gig, it was a start. Chanyeol’s bi-weekly performances at Cafe Universe had begun to grow him an albeit small but passionate audience. It made him beyond happy, words he’d filled countless notebooks with as a adolescent in solitude were now echoing across the mahogany tables, they were finally being shared. 

He’d begun to recognise faces by this point, pushing the wooden door open while heaving his guitar along with him Chanyeol noticed a familiar group of girls at a table who often came to see him play. But they weren’t the ones he always looked out for. Each performance he couldn’t stop his eyes from straying to a cosy patron by the window, fluffy black hair and heavy sketchbook always in hand. 

 

*

 

The immediate warmth and relief of entering the bustling coffee shop after battling against the blistering cold wind flooded through Baekhyun’s veins once he pushed the heavy door shut. Cafe Universe was as busy as ever, tables mostly full and the blazing warmth from the fireplace quickly relieving the numbness in his gloveless fingers. 

“Hey Baek, you’re finally here,” a voice cut across the barrage of customers to catch his attention. Jongdae waved him over from a table by a large window, Kyungsoo seated next to him, intensely examining his half filled coffee cup. 

“Took you long enough, but we got your usual so you’re welcome,” the wide eyed boy remarked, pushing a coffee cop towards the empty spot as Baekhyun wrapped his coat around the back of his designated chair. 

“You’re lucky I came out today at all, Soo. In case you haven’t noticed the weather’s close to arctic levels and being at home wrapped up in my soft duvet sounds very enticing right now.” 

“Please,” Jongdae scoffed, “Chanyeol’s playing today, there’s no way you would miss it.” Baekhyun immediately felt his cheeks turn pink and the warmth from the fire had no part in it. 

“In fact I’m surprised you’re late, we expected you to be waiting for _us_ ,” Kyungsoo added before taking a sip from the pale blue cup in front of him. 

“Shut up, it’s not like I have his schedule memorised,” Baekhyun remarked, he’d meant it sincerely but once the words left his mouth it sounded more like a sarcastic confession of what they all knew to be true. Jongdaemerely smirked at his attempted defence whilst Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. The sound of the said musician adjusting the mic interrupted Baekhyun’s planned retort. 

There he was in all his handsome, adorable, _totally_ boyfriend material glory. Park Chanyeol was everything Baekhyun looked for in his dream boy, wrapped up in navy blue jumper and black skinny jeans that showcased his _extremely_ long legs. Soft dimples and pretty brown eyes were enough to have Baekhyun attention completely wrapped up in the musician, but a deep and soothing voice that rattled him all the way down to his bones on top of that? Baekhyun felt like he was practically drooling from the moment Chanyeol opened his mouth during his first performance.

“And entries start…Baek? Baek!” Jongdae exclaimed, waving a hand in front of his face, effectively breaking his lovesick reverie. 

“Hm?”

“Are you even listening to me?”

“Of course he’s not,” Kyungsoo scoffed with a teasing smile, “his boy toy is about to start playing so his senses have all zeroed in, there’s no communicating with him now.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes,

“He’s not my boy toy, Soo.” Jongdae slammed his hand on the table, 

“First of all stop denying that Mr. Dreamy Hipster Musician hasn’t been the reason you’ve spent practically half your pay check at this place for the past few months, and secondly I’m talking about the Fortworth Prize! Ring any bells?” The sound of Chanyeol tuning his guitar began to float through the cafe, distracting Baekhyun briefly again as he watched him furrow his eyebrows, focusing on the pitch of his instrument. 

_He’s so cute when he’s focused_

“Baek! Jeez you’re like a zombie! Fortworth Prize! Major art competition? _You_ wanted to submit your work?” 

“Oh! Yeah right…sorry Dae,” he replied sheepishly. 

“As I was saying, they’re going ahead with it for our University! Entries open next month, isn’t that great Baek?” 

It was more than great, a chance for his work to be put in a legitimate, and prestigious, exhibition, displayed for the world to see rather than hidden away in his ink stained sketchbook. 

“More than great,” Baekhyun said with a smile as a voice tentatively coughed into the mic, interrupting his friends conversation. 

“Hi everyone, uh…thank you for coming. I’m Chanyeol and this first song’s _Been Through_ ,” he said softly with a shy smile. As he began strumming, Baekhyun took a sip of his hazelnut latte. With Chanyeol’s voice beginning to seep through the speakers, he felt warmth all the way to the tips of his toes and a pink blush appear on his cheeks with no thanks to the warm beverage cupped in his hands. 

 

_In the grey sky_

_There is a brighter light_

_Behind the dark clouds_

_There is a dazzling light_

_You shine like the stars_

_You light up my heart_

_At the end of today’s hardships_

_Brightly shine on me_

  
*

 

Baekhyun finds himself back at Cafe Universe sooner than he’d expected. It’s another freezing day and the promise of a warm beverage and a cosy chair to sit in was too tempting. Heaving his university textbooks inside with him, Baekhyun made a beeline for the armchair near the shop’s fireplace. He’d barely made himself comfortable when a velvety voice sent a chill down his spine. 

“Back again?” 

He looked up to see Chanyeol’s handsome smiling down at him, body wrapped in a navy blue jumper and black skinny jeans showing off his extremely long legs, Baekhyun could practically feel his insides melting. 

“Felt like a coffee,” Baekhyun managed out, cursing himself at his feeble answer. Chanyeol pouted slightly,

“And here I was hoping you’d come to see me.”

“What?!” Baekhyun exclaimed, Chanyeol merely winked in response before making his way up to his usual performance spot. Baekhyun felt the blush on his cheeks rising at Chanyeol’s insinuation. 

Chanyeol’s performance was entrancing as per usual, Baekhyun already feeling hot by the time his drink arrived. Chanyeol’s voice was so smooth and tranquil, and as Baekhyun sank back into the large armchair he felt totally at ease. He could so easily imagine falling asleep to the sound of that voice, large hands drawing delicate patterns on his skin, Baekhyun couldn’t help but sigh at the fantasy. 

Once again, Chanyeol spent the majority of his performance looking in Baekhyun’s exact direction, despite his shift in seating position from when he’d seen him with Kyungsoo and Jongdae. Baekhyun couldn’t help the shy shade of pink his face went, usually he was confident when navigating the world of romance but something about Chanyeol reduced him to a blushing schoolgirl. As Chanyeol’s set went on, Baekhyun felt the erupting feeling of butterflies inside his tummy. It had been so long since he’d had a crush, and here he was practically _swooning_ over this boy that he hardly knew. Part of him believed he was being ridiculous, he barely knows anything about Chanyeol besides that he’s a handsome singer who plays at Cafe Universe with the style of a Topman model, he might not even be interested in boys. Baekhyun was sure there’d be a ton of girls and boys _dying_ to date him. But…he couldn’t help but think of the way Chanyeol looked at him when he performed. There was a smile full of warmth that reached his eyes, it seemed so genuine, so adoring, he couldn’t help but felt like it meant something more. 

 

*

 

Baekhyun had a problem, a big one, complete and utter artistic block. The deadline for the Fortworth Prize was still two months away but time seemed to be slipping away from him. Baekhyun wanted to submit something that he could be nothing but proud of, an art piece that represented him wholeheartedly and he could come up with nothing. His artistic despair boiled over into whining to Kyungsoo among essay writing and cosmic themed drinks. 

“Help me Soo,” Baekhyun whined, face pressed against the stack of paper’s rested on their usual table. 

“I’m not an artist, Baekhyun. What do you want me to do?” He asked impassively, eyes not leaving his laptop screen. Baekhyun pouted, resting his chin on his folded arms, 

“Give me an idea! Something! The deadline’s getting closer and I still have _nothing_.” 

“Why don’t you use one of your old sketches?” Kyungsoo asked, 

“ _Because_ , none of them seem good enough for this! I want to submit my best work to date, I need something new, original, but…something that’s me.” Baekhyun sighed, opening up his sketchbook to flick through his previous drawings. Something about them seemed…superficial to him now. He wanted to create something of depth, that stirred emotion out of him. 

_Like the lightning strikes of emotion you feel whenever you even look at Chanyeol_ a small voice inside of him said. Baekhyun frowned, what he needed was inspiration. 

 

*

 

Campus was busy as usual, giving Baekhyun the hard task of finding a place to draft sketches. He managed to find a table in the campus library, a clear view of the winter morning visible from the window by the desk. Opening up his sketch book he stared at the fresh, crisp white in front of him. The pressure of the competition seemed to be weighing on him, his mind drawing a complete blank when it came to coming up with ideas. Baekhyun sighed, pencil lazily tracing his paper when a deep voice broke his spaced out thoughts. 

“What are you drawing?” 

Baekhyun’s eyebrows shot up in surprise seeing Chanyeol’s handsome face peering down at him. 

“Uh, nothing much,” he managed out, sitting up properly, “trying to come up with something.” Chanyeol nodded and slid into the seat facing him. 

“Stuck for inspiration?” Baekhyun nodded, 

“Something like that.” He looked down at his book in embarrassment, besides a few mindlessly flirty quips in Cafe Universe, Baekhyun had never really spoken to Chanyeol properly, hell he didn’t even think he’d seen him on campus before. Yet, here he was, in the very same library staring right at him. 

“You know, whenever I’m stuck for music ideas, I find it helpful to immerse myself in something new. Try something from a different perspective I suppose, I guess that could work for art too.” Baekhyun shrugged, 

“I guess so.” 

Chanyeol leaned forward across the desk, eyes genuine and a small smile on his lips.

“Well…what do you usually like to draw?” 

“Landscape stuff usually, a forest, cliff faces…that sort of thing.” Chanyeol nodded thoughtfully.

“Well I’m not much of a visual artist, but…why don’t you find a different kind of scenery to draw? Still play to your strengths but get some new inspiration, you know?” 

Baekhyun nodded in thanks, “I guess so. I’ll try to think of something.” Chanyeol offered a sincere smile,

“I know you will, let me know how it goes!” He abruptly stood up, “Need to head to class, but it was really good seeing you, good luck with everything, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol waved before quickly disappearing from his sight. Baekhyun sat reeling from the unexpected encounter, cheeks warm and chest feeling heavy. Despite his array of embarrassing feelings being in such close proximity to the handsome singer, Chanyeol’s advice seemed to resonate in his mind.  
A change of scenery could be just what he needed. 

 

*

 

Apparently going some place new would have to wait until tomorrow as Baekhyun found himself back at Cafe Universe with Kyungsoo and Jongdae. Branching out of his comfort zone wasn’t incredibly successful so far. His friends were caught up in some debate over an episode of Game of Thrones but Baekhyun sat silently, albeit his thoughts were far from the conversation he was currently privy to. Baekhyun stared at the empty stage space, Chanyeol was scheduled to perform later that afternoon but he hadn’t seen the musician since their unexpected meeting on campus. Baekhyun’s eyes kept drifting to the Cafe’s entrance, waiting for the tall, wiry figure to arrive. Kyungsoo and Jongdae continued to go back and forth, Jongdae with wild hand gestures and raised voice while Kyungsoo remained stoic and pointed with his argument. Baekhyun was half way through telling Jongdae off for yelling indoors when the sight of Chanyeol’s arrival broke his concentration. He was looking as lovely as ever, one hand holding his polished guitar case and the other grasping his backpack strap. Baekhyun didn’t realise he was staring until they briefly made eye contact when the other passed, Chanyeol smiled and Baekhyun embarrassingly tore his eyes away. 

“Don’t be too obvious with your pining, Baek,” Jongdae teased, eyes darting between the two. 

“Shut _up_ ,” Baekhyun whined, fiddling with his sleeve. He attempted to keep his gaze away from Chanyeol as the other set up his music stage. Kyungsoo smirked noticing his embarrassment, Baekhyun’s red face glaring down at the blank page in front of him in an attempt to appear indifferent. His friends weren’t too sure why he was in such denial that he maybe had the _tiniest_ crush on Chanyeol. Okay, it was probably more than tiny, but still. To Baekhyun, Chanyeol was a classic flirt, handsome musician who had a regular group of adoring girls and boys who came to watch him perform. Yes, sometimes he gave Baekhyun the occasional flirty comment or suggestive smile but…that’s was just Chanyeol, right? Baekhyun found it hard to believe he could be something special to Park Chanyeol, the most perfect man on campus, at least in Baekhyun’s eyes.

Chanyeol’s set was as wonderful as usual, he played with a rich sincerity that always left Baekhyun captivated. As per usual, Chanyeol spent a lot of his set staring right at the smaller boy, eyes gently gazing over him as his voice echoed a sweet melody against the Cafe’s walls. Baekhyun couldn’t help his cheeks turning even redder, as much as he’d dismissed the idea, he could’t help but indulge in the attention Chanyeol was giving him which certainly did not go unnoticed by his invasive best friends. 

“He was totally staring at you,” 

“He was not.”

“He _so_ was!” Jongdae exclaimed, “he practically was eye fucking you from the other side of the room.” 

“Gross, Jongdae,” Kyungsoo mumbled, “but he did spend a lot of time looking at you Baek,” he murmured quietly, eyes glancing over to where Chanyeol was packing away his guitar. 

“Not the whole time,” Baekhyun feebly replied, trying to fight the smile that was insisting its way onto his face. He found himself back to staring at the object of his affection, his strong hands shifting the heavy equipment, his broad shoulders fitting into his shirt so well, his cute ears that looked even cuter up close.

_Wait, shit_ Baekhyun began to panic as he realised his intense staring had not gone unnoticed and now the recipient was making his way over to their table. 

“Oh my god, he’s coming over here!” Jongdae almost squealed, resulting in a sharp elbowing from Kyungsoo. 

“OW! Soo you absolute fu-”

“Sorry to interrupt!” Chanyeol smiled brightly, rocking back on the balls of his feet, “hope you guys didn’t mind my set.” 

“Oh we _loved_ it,” Jongdae insisted with a smirk, “especially Baekhyun over here, he was practically frothing.” Baekhyun cut him off with a swift kick to the shin. 

“You were great, Chanyeol, as always,” he said bashfully, Chanyeol’s intense smile seemed to grow wider at the compliment. 

“Thanks, actually Baekhyun, I was hoping I could talk to you, maybe buy you a coffee?” Baekhyun’s eyes widened in shock, Chanyeol wanted to talk to him? Twice in one day? Had he fallen into a coma and was now living out one of his fantasies?

“Y-yeah, of course,” he stammered out, standing up with his book and avoiding tripping over Jongdae’s purposefully stuck out leg. The two walked over to the counter with a not so subtle thumbs up from his two friends. 

“So what’s up?” Baekhyun asked after Chanyeol graciously ordered them a hazelnut latte each, standing at the counter’s pick up end. 

“You know how you were saying you were having artist’s block today? Feeling stuck?” Baekhyun nodded in affirmation, 

“Well I’m kind of having the same problem, I’m supposed to write a new original song for our end of semester showcase, it’s our final performance assignment and I’m just coming up short. Everything I try to write just seems a tired version of what I’ve already written, I just feel so…”

“Frustrated?”

“Exactly,” Chanyeol replied, his usual bright expression more downcast than Baekhyun was used to. 

“And here you were giving me advice for my artistic problems.” Chanyeol gave him a knowing smile, 

“I know, I really need to take my own advice.” Baekhyun smiled back, it felt nice to talk with Chanyeol like this, so effortlessly, like they were on the same wavelength. 

“But I was thinking, maybe we could help each other out? You know, maybe share ideas, work off each other, might help some ideas blossom. I know we don’t know each other too well, but I think it’d be good getting a fresh perspective on things, you know?” Baekhyun shifted nervously. He was beyond flattered that Chanyeol was interested in his help, but apart from his usual shower repertoire Baekhyun didn’t know much about music, especially song writing. 

“I don’t know how much help I’d be with writing lyrics but, it never hurts to try I guess.” Chanyeol’s face lit up at his acceptance. 

“Great! I’ll give you my number and we can organise a time to meet up, maybe talk out our ideas and see where that goes?” Baekhyun nodded dumbly as he handed his phone over, still stuck in slight disbelief that this was actually happening. 

“Perfect!” Chanyeol chirped as he texted himself off Baekhyun’s phone, saving Baekhyun’s contact with a smiling emoji. “I’ll send text you soon, thanks again Baekhyun!” 

Baekhyun watched as he exited the cafe with a small wave, mind already racing at the thought of hanging out with Chanyeol, alone, and soon. 

 

*

 

Soon turned out to be an understatement as Chanyeol texted him later that night as Baekhyun sat playing Hogwarts Mystery on his phone. 

 

c _hanyeol_

hey baek!! are u free tomorrow?? i was thinking we could meet up for our first creative session hehe. let me know! 

 

Baekhyun felt the usual eruption of butterflies all throughout his stomach as he read the message over and over, part of him still convinced he’d been trapped in his own subconscious in order for this dream to play out. 

 

_baekhyun_

yep i’mfree^^where would you like me to meet you? 

 

_chanyeol_

great! how about at my dorm around 2? i’m building c room 61. 

_baekhyun_

i can do that. i’ll see you then :)

 

Chanyeol responded with a series of happy emojis in response, making Baekhyun smile as turned his phone screen off and placed it on his bedside table. As he closed his eyes he couldn’t stop the smile that remained on his face. 

 

*

 

Chanyeol’s dorm was cleaner than he’d expected, Baekhyun had imagined an array of clothes, paper and instruments scattered around the single room but most of his things were surprisingly in order. 

“You’re very tidy,” Baekhyun remarked, grimacing at the thought of his own chaotic desk back at his own room. 

“Cleaned up before you arrived,” Chanyeol admitted, pulling out the desk chair for Baekhyun to sit. Baekhyun smiled gratefully and pulled out his sketchbook. 

“So tell me about your art ideas,” Chanyeol suggested sitting on the dorm’s floor, guitar in his lap and back against his bed’s frame. 

“I don’t have much to be honest,” Baekhyun said, eyes casting over his book full of half started drafts.

“I’ve tried to think of different landscapes, but I’m coming up short.” Chanyeol pulled out a notebook from a drawer underneath his bed, flipping the pages open and handing it over to Baekhyun. 

“Well. these are lyric drafts, I haven’t got much, just these and melody but…maybe you can give me some suggestions? Get your creative mind whirring and help you think of something?” Baekhyun’s eyes read over the scrawling of lyrics across the page. There were several words crossed out a scribbled over but a few lines of lyrics were clearly visible. 

 

_I’ll search the universe_

_Until I can find you again_

_I won’t let go, even the smallest memories_

_Memories engraved in the seasons_

_They come and go several times_

_But I will still call out to you_

 

“I got the idea from staring at the Cafe Universe sign. They’re a little sappy, I know,” Chanyeol mumbled bashfully, eyes watching Baekhyun for his reaction. 

“No,” Baekhyun shook his head, “they’re actually quite lovely.” Baekhyun glanced up to meet Chanyeol’s nervous gaze, smile playing on his lips reading Chanyeol’s rather romantic words. 

“Play me the melody?”

Chanyeol hastily agreed, fixing the position of his guitar before he began to play, plucking the strings to a soft acoustic hook. The melody was pretty, soft and romantic like the lyrics he’d shown Baekhyun. Listening to him play alone like this felt like such a privilege. The way Chanyeol handled the strings seemed so natural the music flowing out of his fingertips and into the instrument. Chanyeol’s songs that he performed at the Cafe, but seeing them at their beginning, the way Chanyeol poured out his soft heart onto the pages made Baekhyun’s own chest ache. He was beginning to feel something dangerously strong for the kind, handsome musician playing in front of him. They spent the afternoon swapping ideas and working on Chanyeol’s lyrics, Baekhyun gave him appraisal and critique, helping with word choice and timing when he could. Baekhyun even sang a few of Chanyeol’s lyrics to test out their rhythm,

“You have a lovely voice,” Chanyeol gushed, cheeks pink at the prospect of Baekhyun singing his lyrics. Baekhyun shook his head in embarrassment 

“I’m definitely not a singer.” 

“Well, I’ll disagree with you on that one,” Chanyeol praised with the utmost sincerity, Baekhyun couldn’t help but blush. The time slipped by so fast Baekhyun realised he’d been there until the late evening before he knew it. 

“I should head back, I’m supposed to meet Jongdae later,” he said regretfully, reaching to pack up his things. 

“That’s okay, thanks for all your help today. I’m sorry we didn’t work on your sketches much.” Baekhyun shook his head as he slid his sketchbook into his canvas bag.  
“It actually helped me a lot, I think I’ve got an idea or two, and besides…” He stood up and softly grabbed Chanyeol’s wrist, he still blushed at his brazen action but continued nonetheless. 

“We can always do this again.” Chanyeol’s smile was as bright as the cosmos. 

“Until next time then.”

That night after a full meal gushing to Jongdae about the wonderful entity that was Park Chanyeol, Baekhyun stared at the sky from his dorm window. He pulled out his sketchbook, turning to a blank page. With a small smile, he began to sketch the stars above. 

 

*

 

“So when are you two meeting up again?” Kyungsoo asked, coffee in hand. 

“This Thursday, he’s going to come visit me at the studio,” Baekhyun affirmed, slight tinge of pink on his cheeks. 

“More importantly,” Jongdae interrupted, “ _when_ are you asking him out on a real date?”

Baekhyun sighed, “I don’t know, Dae, I’m not sure if it’s at that point.” Jongdae huffed,

“You’re joking me right, every time we see him on campus he makes lovesick eyes at you and now you two are always having your little artistic meet ups, I can’t think of anybody more sickening.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes, it was true, he and Chanyeol had been spending more and more time together over the past few weeks. Some days they sat and talked about everything from their favourite films to their aspirations post graduation while diligently working, other days they sat in Chanyeol’s dorm in a comfortable silence, breaking the quiet to listen to Chanyeol’s playing once in a while. Baekhyun cherished all of it, every moment with Chanyeol felt so wonderfully easy, as did falling deeper and deeper for him. 

“I’m just taking things slowly, I don’t want to rush.” 

Jongdae looked like he wanted to argue further before Chanyeol’s deep voice interrupted whatever quip he was about to come up with. He was playing a short set today but Baekhyun had wanted to show up in support. As he played his way through the soft acoustic melodies, his eyes barely left Baekhyun’s. While he watched on, it felt as if every word was for him. Baekhyun clapped harder than anyone when Chanyeol concluded his performance, his face warm and smile bright. The beam Chanyeol gave him in return made the butterflies thunder in is chest, maybe just maybe, Chanyeol was feeling the same. 

 

*

 

As Baekhyun sat in the empty art studio he couldn’t help but feel anxious, yes he and Chanyeol had now met up many times before, but today he’d finally decided he was going to buckle up the courage to tell Chanyeol how he really felt. Or at least ask him if he wanted to hang out with Baekhyun in a more romantic capacity. Baekhyun excitedly held onto his sketchbook looking over the piece he’d finally finished for the competition. The piece was inspired by Chanyeol’s showcase song, he’d kept it mostly a secret over the past few weeks, and was hoping the reveal of how much Chanyeol’s own art had inspired him would go well with his intended romantic confession. Baekhyun looked down at his watch, Chanyeol was now five minutes late. Anxiously Baekhyun drifted over to the glass window of the studio’s door, looking out to see if Chanyeol perhaps thought they would meet outside. Looking down the hall he realised the male in question had arrived.

But he wasn’t alone. 

Leaning against the corridor wall was a boy whose height almost matched that of Chanyeol’s own, shoulders broad with a sharply angled face. They were talking closely, the other boy’s expression looking defeated whilst Chanyeol rubbed his shoulder. Baekhyun knew it was wrong to eavesdrop but he couldn’t help opening the door ever so slightly, allowing himself to hear their quiet voices drift down the hallway. 

“I messed up, I know I did,” the unnamed boy said, eyes glaring down at the ground.  
“It’s not your fault, Sehunnie,” Chanyeol affirmed, hand continuing it’s comforting, gentle touch on, who he guessed was Sehun’s, shoulder. 

“I know what your capable of, you need to stop being so hard on yourself, okay?” Sehun smiled gratefully, leaning his forehead on Chanyeol’s shoulder, the gesture seeming comfortable, almost intimate. 

“Love you,” Baekhhyun heard him say quietly, 

“Love you too,” Chanyeol replied, hugging the other boy closer as Baekhyun slid the door shut carefully. 

He stared at the floor, trying to reason why Chanyeol would be saying something like that to anyone but a boyfriend but, he couldn’t find one. Baekhyun felt his eyes start to burn, he’d been an idiot this whole time, following Chanyeol around with rose tinted glasses unknowingly helping him write love songs for somebody else. Baekhyun couldn’t help the tears that slid down his face, hot and shameful as his chest started to constrict. Quickly, he pulled his phone out and set Chanyeol a quick message. 

 

_baekhyun_

can’t make it today. sick. sorry. 

 

He shut off his phone as soon as the message sent, unwilling to read Chanyeol’s reply. Quietly, he managed to avoid Chanyeol as he made his way back to the dorm, small sobs bursting out of him before his own bedroom door was shut. 

 

*

 

“Baek, I’m sure this whole thing is a misunderstanding…are you sure they were together?” Kyungsoo reasoned, worried gaze hovering over Baekhyun’s bed. He’d barely left his room for the past few days, Chanyeol had tried to text and call him repeatedly but he hadn’t had the guts to read a single message. Jongdae and Kyungsoo had tried to force him outside but to no avail, now it was two days until his work was to be exhibited for the competition and Baekhyun was nothing but a wallowing mess. 

“I’m sure Soo, you should’ve seen them…I was stupid to think he was actually interested in me.”

“No you weren’t!” Jongdae insisted, “next time I see that idiot I’m gonna clock him!” 

“No one’s physically fighting anybody, thank you,” Kyungsoo said nudging Jongdae out of the way to sit next to Baekhyun. 

“But I really think you should talk to him Baek, at least find out for sure if it’s true.” Baekhyun sighed and pulled the pillow over his face. 

“I don’t want to see him! It’s too humiliating.” Kyungsoo gave Jongdae a worried glance, even he seemed at a loss of what to do.

“No offence but, can I just be alone right now?” Baekhyun’s muffled voice came through the blankets. 

“But-” Jongdae started before Kyungsoo cut him off, placing his hand on his arm in warning. 

“Of course, Baek. Call us if you need us.” The two hurriedly exited the dorm as Kyungsoo pulled Jongdae down the hallway into the common area. 

“Do you know Baekhyun’s passcode?” He asked, revealing the said boy’s phone.

“You stole that?!” Jongdae exclaimed, Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, switching the device on. 

“Well yeah, neither of us have Chanyeol’s number how else are we going to contact him?” 

“It’s his birthday, 920506, has been since he got the thing,” Jongdae relented, watching as Kyungsoo quickly opened the device and went straight to Baekhyun’s text, opening up the conversation with Chanyeol that was filled with unread and worried messages from the other boy. 

 

_baekhyun_

my work is being displayed on thursday at campus art gallery. meet me, 2pm. 

 

“Are you kidding? That didn’t sound like Baekhyun at all!” Jongdae whined as he read over the message. 

“Shut up this is gonna work, I know it will.” 

 

*

 

Chanyeol had to admit he was a little surprised and slightly hurt by Baekhyun’s abrupt and aloof message after days of being ignored. But he figured maybe something important was happening in the other’s life which meant he’d been unreachable, and was going to tell him today. Anxiously, he waited at the campus gallery entrance, eyes keenly searching for the cute black haired boy to appear. Instead he was met with the wide eyed and slightly intimidating expressions of Baekhyun’s two best friends. 

“Hi Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo said shortly, Jongdae nodded in greeting.  
“Hi guys, um is Baekhyun with you? He said he wanted to meet me.” Kyungsoo shook his head,

“Actually we sent that text, you see, Baekhyun’s really upset that you have a boyfriend so we wanted to ask you _why_ you were leading him on so much-”

“Wait, wait…boyfriend? What are you talking about? I’m not seeing anyone else.” Jongdae’s eyes narrowed, 

“So _who_ were you snuggling up to in the hallway then when you were supposed to meet Baekhyun at his studio then? Huh?” Chanyeol’s eyes widened,

“Baekhyun saw us? I thought he was sick?” 

“Doesn’t matter! Explain yourself!” Jongdae gestured dramatically, attracting a few stares from passers by. 

“He’s not my boyfriend he’s my younger brother,” Chanyeol implored, fingers rubbing his temples in frustration. 

“He was feeling really down on himself so he wanted to talk to me, he’d messed up a big exam and I wanted to be there for him. He’s my family.” Jongdae’s expression quickly shifted from accusation to guilt.

“So…you’re _not_ in a relationship?”

“No! I thought it was pretty obvious that I like Baekhyun, and I was hoping he’d give me a chance to fall for me too but then he just stopped talking to me out of nowhere. If he doesn’t like me that way that’s fine, I would just prefer an honest rejection instead of all this elusiveness.”

“Oh my god, you two are so dumb!” Kyungsoo exclaimed, palm hitting his forehead at the amount of cluelessness taking place. 

“Just, come with us, we want to show you Baek’s painting.” Chanyeol reluctantly agreed, allowing the two shorter males to guide him to the second floor where the competition entries were being displayed. The room was fairly busy with the new artworks causing quite an attraction, the three bustling through the crowd to where Baekhyun’s work was hanging. 

“Here,” Kyungsoo said pushing Chanyeol to stand in front of the large canvas, his eyes wide in shock. 

There was array of colour, blues, purples, silvers, all elegantly blurred to create the breathtaking image in front of him. It was the cosmos they’d talked about in Chanyeol’s song, every little star shining brightly at him to create his perfect universe. Chanyeol leaned in closely to and saw the accompanying plaque underneath,

_My Little Universe_

Byun Baekhyun (2018)

 

Chanyeol closed his eyes, trying to hold back the waves of emotion he felt brimming inside as Kyungsoo and Jongdae watched him carefully. Straightening up he cleared his throat and looked over towards them,

“My showcase is tomorrow night, bring Baekhyun, please that’s all I’m asking, I want to explain to him it’s not what he thinks.” Kyungsoo nodded thoughtfully, giving Chanyeol his first smile of the day. 

“We can’t promise anything but, we’ll try.” 

 

*

 

The auditorium was packed by the time the three friends took their seats, Baekhyun squished in between his two friends at the end of the aisle as he nervously stared up at the currently empty stage. 

“I’m still not sure why we’re here,” he grumbled, feeling nothing but anxious at the prospect of seeing Chanyeol for the first time since the hallway incident. He’d gotten the message today, his painting had been selected at the Fortworth prize winner, but the previous joy he’d been filled with seemed minimised now as the nerves overtook him. 

“Trust us Baek,” Jongdae replied, giving him a friendly nudge, “you won’t want to miss this.” 

“Hey,” a voice said above them, looking up, Baekhyun saw the pretty almond eyes of one Park Chanyeol gazing at him. 

“Hi,” he responded meekly, struggling to meet the other’s gaze.

“Baekhyun can I talk to you? It’ll only take a minute.” Baekhyun reluctantly nodded, pushing his way past Kyungsoo to walk with Chanyeol to the back of the theatre.

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready?” Baekhyun asked once they came to a stop.

“I had to see you,” Chanyeol insisted, eyes boring into Baekhyun’s own, “Baek, it’s not what you think. I’m not seeing anyone else, Sehun’s my younger brother, the boy you saw me with that day outside the studio.”

“How did you-”

“A little birdie told me. The point is, it’s _you_ that I like, _you_ that I want to write songs about.”

“Chanyeol…”

“Please Baek, let me say it. Ever since I saw you that first time I performed at the Cafe, I was entranced by you. You’ve been my inspiration ever since and spending time with you felt nothing but perfect. It was you that gave me what I needed, not only to create music but…you were always the best part of my day. What I’m trying to say is, I like you, _only_ you. In fact, I’m falling pretty hard for you.” 

Baekhyun’s eyes were a blurry mess at Chanyeol’s speech, his hands shaking and his face fighting back the smile.

“I don’t know what to say, I was a real idiot right?” He managed out. Chanyeol shook his head with a small laugh, hand reaching out to grab Baekhyun’s own.

“Say you’ll stay and listen tonight, and know that when I’m singing, I’m singing to you.”

“That was so cheesy,” Baekhyun grinned, “but okay. Look out for me in the crowd.” 

Chanyeol’s smile was as bright as ever as he leaned in slowly, placing a soft kiss on the other boy’s lips. It was every fantasy Baekhyun had dreamed of and more, the feelings inside his chest making him feel as if he was soaring, as he wrapped his arms around Chanyeol’s neck as the kiss became more intense. Chanyeol eventually pulled back, resisting to take it further in public and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. 

“I saw your painting by the way.”

“Oh yeah?” Baekhyun asked, gazing up at him through his pretty eyelashes, “What did you think?” 

“A beautiful cosmos, Baek really, I loved it.” Baekhyun beamed up at him before drawing back, pushing his shoulders slightly. 

“They emailed me today, I won.” Chanyeol gaped at him before picking him up and spinning him around joyously. 

“Congratulations, oh my god, Baek that’s amazing!” Baekhyun giggled, relishing in the feeling of Chanyeol’s arms around him. 

“You better get going, you’re on stage soon!” Chanyeol gave him a last wide smile before darting down the aisle and backstage. Baekhyun giddily followed him soon after back to his seat, face bright and cheeks red.

“You were so _not_ subtle about that make out session just now by the way, so don’t think we’re forgetting about that anytime soon,” Jongdae teased as he sat back down. Baekhyun’s blush increased but he couldn’t find it in himself to mind. When Chanyeol appeared onstage the buzzing in his stomach increased tenfold as he spoke into the mic.

“This song is for someone very special to me, they helped me every step of the way writing it. So I hope he knows it’s for no one but him.” 

The familiar melody filled the room as Chanyeol began to play, Baekhyun’s eyes cloudy as he sung the sweet lyrics they’d created together.

 

_You have my world, you’re my little universe_

_The moment it vanishes, I will disappear as well_

_I’ll search the universe_

_Until I can find you again_

_I won’t let go, even the smallest memories_

_Memories engraved in the seasons_

_They come back_

_So I will find you_

_Because that’s love_

_Because it’s love_


End file.
